Resisting the Arroyo Regime - Free Ka Bel Movement national speaking tour
PUBLIC MEETING: THE RESISTANCE TO STATE REPRESSION IN THE PHILIPPINES
Dennis Maga, trade unionist and spokesperson for the Free Ka Bel Movement to speak.
Auckland: Monday 21 MAY, 7.30PM
Trades Hall 147 Great Nth Rd, Grey Lynn.
Wellington: Wednesday 23 May, 7pm,
2nd Floor ANZAC HOUSE, 181 Willis St.
Christchurch: Thursday 24th May, 7:30pm,
Trade Union Centre, 199 Armargh St
Whangarei: Sunday 27 May, 7pm,
St John’s Church Centre, 149 Kamo Rd, Whangarei
Paihia Monday 28th May, 7:30pm
Bounty Inn, Cnr Bayview & Selwyn Rds, Paihia
Philippines president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is to attend an interfaith dialogue in New Zealand this month. Since she came to power six years ago, 837 people have died in extrajudicial killings – including left-wing politicians, rights activists, unionists, journalists and religious leaders.
Among those detained is Crispin “Ka Bel” Beltran. The ailing 74-year-old congressman was arrested in February last year on charges that date back to the era of Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the early 1980s and were quashed in 1988. Since then, further trumped up charges of sedition have been laid. Beltran has now been held under hospital detention for sixteen months.
Last week Dennis Maga met with the NZ ambassador in Manila and requested the following from the New Zealand Government.
1. Sponsor a cross-parliamentary delegation to investigate the human rights situation in the Philippines
2. Send a representative of the New Zealand Embassy to the court hearings on Rep. Beltran’s case.
3. Redirect the NZ ODA funding from the Philippine government to the people’s organizations actively promoting and defending human rights.
4. Offer the NZ embassy as a safe haven for victims of repression and assure them of refugee status in NZ.
5. Campaign against the nomination of the Philippines as member of the United Nation Human Rights Security Council for the unabating occurrence of extra-judicial killings, involuntary disappearances militarization, political harassments and persecution.
Helen Clark has pledged that New Zealand would “continue to encourage the Philippines, wherever opportunity arises, to work towards fully protecting the fundamental human rights of all its peoples and releasing individuals who appear to have been unjustifiably imprisoned.” It is time for her follow through on that promise.
Sponsored by the NDU, AUS, MUNZ, UNITE GPJA, WPNZ, ARENA, PSNA
http://freekabelmovement.blogspot.com/
For information contact Luke Coxon on 021 617 131 lcoxon@nduunion.org.nz
Dennis Maga, a trade union community leader in the Philippines and spokesperson for the free Ka Bel movement will be in New Zealand from May 20th to June 2nd to speak on the dire situation in his country and on how New Zealand can help. This tour has been sponsored by community organisations and unions.
His national speaking tour is planned to coincide with the NZ visit of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, between May 27th-30th, for an interfaith dialogue in Waitangi, hosted by Helen Clark.
Since Arroyo came to power six years ago, nearly 850 people have died in extrajudicial killings and many have been detained – including left-wing politicians, rights activists, unionists, journalists and religious leaders.
Renowned human rights expert and New York University Professor, Philip Alston, has said that “virtual impunity” prevails in the country with regard to the extrajudicial killings which are “convincingly attributed” to the military.
Mr Alston, appointed by the United Nations as Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said in his report to the UN on March 27th and 28th: “the military and many key officials have buried their collective heads in the sand and announced that business will continue as usual”.
Among those detained is Crispin “Ka Bel” Beltran. The ailing 74-year-old congressman was arrested in February 2006 on charges that date back to the era of Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the early 1980s and were quashed in 1988. Since then, further trumped up charges of sedition have been laid. Beltran has now been held under hospital detention for sixteen months. Despite the fact that the Government has now lifted its objection to him being granted bail, he remains in custody. Ka Bel is a well known figure to New Zealanders, having visited this country on a national speaking tour in 1999, in his capacity as the long serving leader of the KMU (Kilusang Mayo Uno/ May First Movement) trade union confederation.
Dennis Maga is Secretary General of ANGLO-KMU (General Workers Federation within the KMU). He is also spokesperson for the Free Ka Bel Movement and ran Ka Bel’s Congressional re-election campaign for the political party Anakpawis (the Government strategy in imprisoning Ka Bel was to cripple the chances of he, and his party, of getting back into Congress in the May midterm elections).
The Free Ka Bel Movement (FKBM) is an alliance of workers, church people, professionals, parliamentarians, artists, students, and supporters of Rep. Beltran calling for his immediate release. The Convenor is the former Vice President of the Philippines, Teofisto Guingona.
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